Talk about your gadgets, gadgets you want, gadgets you want advice/info on here!

So I thought I might like a fitbit for tracking exercise and calorie burn and my sleep (i sleep a lot and yet i'm still frequently tired). My husband got me a bodymedia fit because he thought it was nicer and thought I'd like that there's an iphone app for it (I do). It tracks calories burned, steps taken, time of moderate exercise, time of vigorous exercise, stuff like that. Downsides - expensive! + $7/month fee for the website (which is mostly for easier calorie tracking, but the calorie tracking software blows - it's not as good even as my fitness pal or spark people or the weight watcher's site). The sleep tracking is kind of vague - here's a screen capture

I have a fitbit, I hit it against something while wearing it on my hip and the front face plate fell off. I contacted the company, they sent me a replacement which I haven't opened yet. Basically, when you are sleeping, you will move around so generally the grey parts you see are you adjusting/moving around.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

I had a fitbit for awhile and I loved it. I just got tired of wearing it because I knew that on a regular day, if I didn't consciously do something active, there was no way I was hitting 10,000 steps. That being said, I did love it because it made me really competitive with myself, plus I could wear it on my bra, so it was a secret! The bodymedia armband will be more accurate because it uses more technology (fitbit can track your movement, while armband tracks movement, skin temperature and skin conductivity). That being said, it's awkward to wear and, like you said, the calorie tracker thing blows for $7 a month. The fitbit tracker is free and gives you little rewards. I don't know, is that helpful?

I am interested in the Nike Fuel Band. Or maybe Fitbit. I don't know. It's almost like I want to borrow one. I just want to see how many calories I burn. I got a separate sleep app, but I haven't been using it because you have to have the phone awake and on in plugged under you sheet or something. I don't know. I'm similar that I get enough sleep, but always feel tired. I usually chalk it up to depression though.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk

I just got my fitbit today and I am really excited. well i was really excited because I thought I could link it with my My Net Diary account, which I have been using for months and have spent a lot of time putting in recipes/adding vegan foods but it looks like I would have to upgrade from the pro version to the maximum version which has subscription fees. So disapointing.

Are there any other food tracking phone apps that are user friendly/vegan friendly and that link to the fitbit?

I just got my fitbit today and I am really excited. well i was really excited because I thought I could link it with my My Net Diary account, which I have been using for months and have spent a lot of time putting in recipes/adding vegan foods but it looks like I would have to upgrade from the pro version to the maximum version which has subscription fees. So disapointing.

Are there any other food tracking phone apps that are user friendly/vegan friendly and that link to the fitbit?

I use MyFitnessPal and they have FitBit listed under apps. It seems like they seamlessly work together.

I love my fitbit! You can change your goals, set your stride, etc. I also really like the website design for the tracking - it's so pretty and encouraging. I also have the Aria scale that wirelessly syncs to the fitbit tracker. I wouldn't normally pay such an insane amount of money for a scale, but it's totally worth it to have a record of my weight over a year.

Also, the fitbit customer service team is amazing. My first fitbit wouldn't sync, so I emailed them and they mailed me a whole new product. Only the base station was bad, so my SO and I each took a tracker and shared the base station. He moved out and I emailed them asking if I could buy a replacement base station and they sent me a new one for free.

I am really liking my fitbit too! I tried using MFP to track my foods this week and I liked how much vegan food the database has and that it syncs so well with the fitbit buuut I found the MFP app kind of clunky to add food to.

Anyway I think I'm going to stick with my net diary and manually add my fitbit adjustment. I really like the charts I get so I can see how much I move around and it's very motivating to get me off my butt more often.

I've become enthralled with the idea of the Jawbone Up https://jawbone.com/up because I would like to track my sleep as well as my every day activities. It is also supposed to easily interface with MyFitnessPal.

(For hardcore hiking and biking I have my Garmin, but its form factor and battery life doesn't lend itself to all the time wear.)

Everyone I know with a fitbit has lost or broken it and I like the design of the Up, but it has very mixed reviews.

I've read a lot of reviews that said the new fitbit flex is better than both the Jawbone UP and the Nike Fuelband. I've only read online reviews though so no one I know personally but since the fitbit flex is newish, I'd look into that too.

I really wanted a fitbit flex, but they are sold out/back-ordered everywhere! I have a fitbit zip and really like it, but I'm fascinated by the sleep tracking, and the zip doesn't have it.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk

I've become enthralled with the idea of the Jawbone Up https://jawbone.com/up because I would like to track my sleep as well as my every day activities. It is also supposed to easily interface with MyFitnessPal.

(For hardcore hiking and biking I have my Garmin, but its form factor and battery life doesn't lend itself to all the time wear.)

Everyone I know with a fitbit has lost or broken it and I like the design of the Up, but it has very mixed reviews.

Anyone here with any experience?

I actually also use the app Endomondo, which I can upload to from my garmin, and Endomondo syncs with MFP. It's an extra step, and might seem silly, but it works for me. I look at my lap times, elevation and whatnot.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk

I actually also use the app Endomondo, which I can upload to from my garmin, and Endomondo syncs with MFP. It's an extra step, and might seem silly, but it works for me. I look at my lap times, elevation and whatnot.

OK -- this is relevant to my interests! I'll check this out in the meantime while I weigh the other options. Good to know!

I will check out that review -- thank you! Most reviews have the Flex and Up nose to nose; I don't care about bluetooth syncing and the Up supposedly has a better app, which is great, if the device itself works.

The Flex seems super bulky from photos I've seen, but maybe it will be an option.

Well Fitbit is a 24 hour monitor for general movement and sleeping. Heart Rate Monitors are activity based like if you are going to the gym or going for a run, slap a HRM to see how many calories you burn during your workout. The HRM aren't designed to be worn full time and they aren't movement based, they are heart rate based.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

How funny this thread got revived! My husband just started as the first data scientist at fitbit on Monday. They were going to give us both Flexes but yeah, they're sold out so we were gives Ones. Today's my first day using it and so far I'm digging it! I can't speak to how it compares to any other devices since I've never used one but it is encouragjng me to be a lot more active. I like that it syncs with myfitnesspal. We also got the scale, which totally freaked me out by calculating my % body fat!

Right, couroupita! I find myself more interested in the % body fat than the weight on the scale, but then I'm like, how is it calculating this?! It makes a difference if I drink a glass of water beforehand.

I think the One seems like the better option than the Flex, but I think that now because I want to see how many steps I've climbed (I live on the 4th floor).

What linanil said regarding heart rate moniters, NomiMalone. They are cool when you wear them for a work out though in that you get a more accurate idea of how many calories you've burned. That being said, I've never gotten mine to work. Either that, or I should maybe see a cardiologist. I think it has more to do with the sensor being wet though.

_________________I would eat Dr. Cow pocket cheese in a second. I would eat it if you hid it under your hat, or in your backpack, but not if it was in your shoe. That's where I draw the line. -allularpunk